"We need to agree that excise duties on these goods will be equal and to equalise them in four-six years," Deputy Prime Minister Igor Shuvalov says

Igor Shuvalov

MOSCOW, March 26. /ITAR-TASS/. Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan can further discuss harmonisation of excise duties after they sign a treaty to create the Eurasian Economic Union in May, Deputy Prime Minister Igor Shuvalov says.

"At the moment, several issues on trade remain unresolved in especially sensitive goods such as crude, petroleum products, gas, medicines, medical devices, alcohol and tobacco," he told a session at the upper house of parliament on Wednesday.

"Regarding these issues the sides have their own position. They say it is necessary to reserve the right not to ensure full freedom on trade in these goods. Now the sides are far from understanding how to agree on these goods. May be, we will need to put off these issues until later than May," Shuvalov said.

"We need to agree that excise duties on these goods will be equal and to equalise them in four-six years. We already have agreements at the level of finance ministers," he said.

The creation of the Eurasian Economic Union should be the next stage towards integration on the Eurasian space. It will replace the Eurasian Economic Community, known as EurAsEC, what is fixed in the Declaration on the Creation of the Common Economic Space of December 9, 2010, and the Declaration on Eurasian Economic Integration of November 18, 2011.

The treaty to create the Eurasian Economic Union should be signed on May 1, 2014, for the union to become effective on the Customs Union’s space as of January 1, 2015. Fundamental principles of the Eurasian Economic Union have been finalised by presidents of Belarus, Kazakhstan and Russia in Moscow on December 24, 2013. At present, the process of Kyrgyzstan and Armenia’s accession to the Customs Union and the Common Economic Space has been underway.